234. The Swedish "Assassin" and the Killer Cop with Paula May episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 9, 2026 · 56 MIN

234. The Swedish "Assassin" and the Killer Cop with Paula May

from SPYCRAFT 101 · host Justin Black

Today's guest is Paula May. Paula graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice, and later a Master's degree in Public Administration. She worked for more than 35 years in law enforcement, primarily in Waga County and then in King, North Carolina. She spent more than 20 of those years in major crime investigations, and the last 10 as Chief of Police directing major criminal incident response and investigations in King. Since retiring, she has also served on the board of directors and as the interim director of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police. Paula is here this week to discuss a major case she investigated beginning in 1993 with the murder of Viktor Gunnarsson in North Carolina. Years before his death, Viktor was a suspect in the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palma, which we previously discussed on episode 155 of the podcast. Now Paula can tell us how that investigation changed Viktor's life and what happened to him here in the United States at the hands of a local police officer. She also wrote two books about the case. Connect with Paula: amazon.com/stores/Paula-May/author/B08687TSC1 Check out the book, FIRST DEGREE RAGE, here. https://a.co/d/0aOaxDHS Connect with Spycraft 101: Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here. spycraft101.com IG: @spycraft101 Shop: shop.spycraft101.com Patreon: Spycraft 101 Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here. Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here. Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here. Kruschiki The best surplus military goods delivered right to your door. Use code SPYCRAFT101 for 10% off! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Author and former Chief of Police Paula May discusses a unique North Carolina murder in which the victim was once a prime suspect in the assassination of Sweden's Prime Minister.

NOW PLAYING

234. The Swedish "Assassin" and the Killer Cop with Paula May

0:00 56:09

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of SPYCRAFT 101?

This episode is 56 minutes long.

When was this SPYCRAFT 101 episode published?

This episode was published on February 9, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Today's guest is Paula May. Paula graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice, and later a Master's degree in Public Administration. She worked for more than 35 years in law enforcement,...

Can I download this SPYCRAFT 101 episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!